Special rituals at Puri Srimandir ahead of lunar eclipse today

Puri: Special rituals await the Holy Trinity at the Puri Srimandir ahead of the total lunar eclipse today. The eclipse has also led to changes in timings of the routine rituals at the 12th century temple .

While the gates were opened at 5:00 am, Mangal aarti was done at 5:40 am. After Mailama, Tadapalagi and Abakasha Niti, Gopalaballav Niti and other rituals will be done around 9 am, temple sources informed.

The Sakala Dhupa will be done between 9:30 am to 10:30 am following which the Mahaprasad will be made available at Bhoga Mandap besides performing of the Madhyana Dhupa. The rituals will be stopped around 2:54 pm after Mailama and Tadapalagi.

After the lunar eclipse commences, a special bhog will be offered around 11:53:48 pm which will be followed by a Sandhya Alati.

“An exclusive ritual is done during the lunar eclipse. By 2:54 pm all the rituals will be completed .Same rituals will be done across all temples in Odisha,” Jagannath culture expert Surya Narayan Rath Sharma said.

Astrologer Dr.Naresh Chandra Das said, “During ‘pakatyaga’ the lords wear a special attire. After 11:53:48, a special bhog is offered to them.”

Scientists have termed the ‘blood moon’ as the longest lunar eclipse to take place in a century when the moon will be visible to the human naked eye in a reddish colour.

On the occasion of Guru Purnima, people in not only Odisha but throughout the world will be able to see the lunar eclipse also called as ‘blood moon’ by scientists.

Reports say the entire event will start from 10.44 pm on July 27 night to 04.58 am early in the morning the next day. The full eclipse will last between 1 am and 2.43 am.

During the event, the moon will appear like a bright reddish orange colour and even turn into deep, dark red being lit up by Sun’s light through a process called refraction- when Sun’s light passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and then bent back towards the moon.